Democratic presidential candidates to debate at SCSU
Democratic presidential candidates to debate at SCSU
Nationally televised event set for April 26
Published: Monday, January 8, 2007 - 4:43 pm
By Dan HooverSTAFF WRITERdchoover@greenvillenews.com
What's your view? Click here to add your comment to this story. Solidifying South Carolina's role as a major force in 2008 presidential politics, top state Democrats said the party would conduct the campaign's first nationally televised presidential debate on April 26.
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin of Greenville and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of Columbia made the announcement outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the SCSU campus.
The debate will be produced by NBC News, aired by MSNBC from the SCSU campus and streamed live on MSNBC.com. The debate, beginning at 7 p.m., will be available to NBC affiliates around the state. It will run for 90 minutes beginning at 7 p.m.
Kicking off the evening's coverage, "Hardball with Chris Matthews, will air live from SCSU at 5 p.m. with interviews and analysis of the event and its contenders.Advertisement
South Carolina Republicans previously lined up a May 15 debate to be aired from Columbia's Koger Center by Fox News Channel.
Monday's announcement also suggests that Palmetto State Democrats, despite being the minority party that has carried the state only once since 1964, will slug it out with the GOP for the status and attention brought by presidential primary campaigns.
Democrats will hold their primary on Jan. 29, 2008 and Republicans have tentatively scheduled theirs for Feb. 2. South Carolina will be the second primary after New Hampshire and their fourth head-to-head contest after the Iowa and Nevada caucuses.
"What better way to celebrate South Carolina and our second-in-the-nation (and) first-in-the South presidential primary than with the first Presidential debate at the alma mater of our own Jim Clyburn, majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives," Erwin told reporters.
The debate will serve as a prelude to the state Democratic Party's convention weekend beginning with the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner and Clyburn's annual fish fry on April 27 and state convention the next day, events that are likely to keep many of the candidates around wooing influential party activists.
That confluence of events "presents an amazing opportunity for every citizen of this state to have South Carolina issues, values and voices front and center in the national spotlight," Clyburn said.
Mike Hayes, general manager of Greenville's WYFF-TV, an NBC affiliate, said the station has committed to airing the debate, but not in its entirety. He said WYFF would broadcast the first hour then rebroadcast the full 90 minutes at a later time or date.
Democrats who have said they are running include former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee; Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
But polling continues to show New York Sen. Hillary Clinton the Democratic favorite with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama number two. Other possible contenders include Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 nominee; former Vice President Al Gore, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
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http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/NEWS03/701080381
Nationally televised event set for April 26
Published: Monday, January 8, 2007 - 4:43 pm
By Dan HooverSTAFF WRITERdchoover@greenvillenews.com
What's your view? Click here to add your comment to this story. Solidifying South Carolina's role as a major force in 2008 presidential politics, top state Democrats said the party would conduct the campaign's first nationally televised presidential debate on April 26.
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin of Greenville and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of Columbia made the announcement outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the SCSU campus.
The debate will be produced by NBC News, aired by MSNBC from the SCSU campus and streamed live on MSNBC.com. The debate, beginning at 7 p.m., will be available to NBC affiliates around the state. It will run for 90 minutes beginning at 7 p.m.
Kicking off the evening's coverage, "Hardball with Chris Matthews, will air live from SCSU at 5 p.m. with interviews and analysis of the event and its contenders.Advertisement
South Carolina Republicans previously lined up a May 15 debate to be aired from Columbia's Koger Center by Fox News Channel.
Monday's announcement also suggests that Palmetto State Democrats, despite being the minority party that has carried the state only once since 1964, will slug it out with the GOP for the status and attention brought by presidential primary campaigns.
Democrats will hold their primary on Jan. 29, 2008 and Republicans have tentatively scheduled theirs for Feb. 2. South Carolina will be the second primary after New Hampshire and their fourth head-to-head contest after the Iowa and Nevada caucuses.
"What better way to celebrate South Carolina and our second-in-the-nation (and) first-in-the South presidential primary than with the first Presidential debate at the alma mater of our own Jim Clyburn, majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives," Erwin told reporters.
The debate will serve as a prelude to the state Democratic Party's convention weekend beginning with the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner and Clyburn's annual fish fry on April 27 and state convention the next day, events that are likely to keep many of the candidates around wooing influential party activists.
That confluence of events "presents an amazing opportunity for every citizen of this state to have South Carolina issues, values and voices front and center in the national spotlight," Clyburn said.
Mike Hayes, general manager of Greenville's WYFF-TV, an NBC affiliate, said the station has committed to airing the debate, but not in its entirety. He said WYFF would broadcast the first hour then rebroadcast the full 90 minutes at a later time or date.
Democrats who have said they are running include former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee; Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
But polling continues to show New York Sen. Hillary Clinton the Democratic favorite with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama number two. Other possible contenders include Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 nominee; former Vice President Al Gore, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
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http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/NEWS03/701080381
posted by presgore19 at 3:58 AM
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